Tier 2: Pilot Experiments
4 Tests, $50K–$200KThese experiments require modest funding and institutional collaboration, but are feasible with current technology. They test the most novel predictions — the ones that can't be explained as reparametrizations.
TEST-11: EEG Anesthesia Phase Transition
$150K / 12 monthsProtocol: 20 subjects, gradual propofol infusion, 256-channel EEG + fMRI
Prediction: Sharp phase transition in coherence at universal threshold Φ_crit = 3.5 ± 0.2
Kill: Φ at loss of consciousness ranges from 1.0 to 6.0 with no clustering
The single most decisive consciousness test. If the threshold is universal, Synchronism's consciousness framework has legs. If Φ_LOC varies widely, it doesn't.
TEST-12: Circadian γ Monitoring
$50K / 1 monthProtocol: 10 subjects, continuous EEG over 24-hour cycle, track coherence metrics
Prediction: γ_neural shows systematic variation correlated with circadian phase
Kill: No systematic γ variation over circadian cycle above noise floor
Low-cost, fast. If circadian rhythms don't modulate neural coherence, the mapping from abstract C to measurable EEG is wrong.
TEST-13: QC Coherence Time Scaling
$5K / 6 monthsProtocol: Partner with quantum computing lab, measure T2 vs. γ_env across platforms
Prediction: Quantum computer coherence time T2 scales predictably with environmental γ
Kill: T2 uncorrelated with environmental coupling metric
Cheap. Uses existing QC hardware. Tests whether Synchronism's γ adds predictive value over standard decoherence models.
TEST-14: EEG Phase Locking in Meditation
$150K / 12 monthsProtocol: 10 expert meditators + 10 controls, 256-channel EEG, multiple meditation types
Prediction: Expert meditators show higher baseline C and distinct γ ranges for different meditation types
Kill: No difference in phase coherence between experts and novices
Tests the prediction that meditation systematically modulates coherence. Pairs with TEST-11.
Prerequisites
Tier 2 experiments should only proceed if Tier 1 results are encouraging. If the zero-cost data reanalyses (BAO, wide binary, SPARC environment) all fail, the case for investing in pilot experiments weakens substantially.